


For Want of a Kingpiece

by wizqevelyn



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Additional warnings will be added as needed, AiYuRyo, Gun Violence, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, I just put it there just in case, I tagged for graphic depictions of violence but it's not TOO graphic, M/M, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Shooting Guns, That's not an official ship name that's just what friends of mine and I call it, Yup all three of them, aka Networkshipping, somewhat compliant with canon, this is the Yusaku Gets Shot But Lives AU, this replaces season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:13:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24116329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wizqevelyn/pseuds/wizqevelyn
Summary: What if Yusaku had been shot but lived? Ai and Ryoken scramble to find the person who gave the order, but can they protect Yusaku from SOL's more sinister plot? An alternate take on season 3.Chinese and Korean translations available!
Relationships: Ai | Ignis/Fujiki Yuusaku, Ai | Ignis/Revolver | Kougami Ryouken, Fujiki Yuusaku/Revolver | Kougami Ryouken
Comments: 104
Kudos: 132





	1. Backward Pawn

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [For want of a kingpiece-王棋缺位](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25416187) by [Taiko1999](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taiko1999/pseuds/Taiko1999)



> Hi, friends! I'm so excited to start a new adventure with you! I hope you'll like it! :)
> 
> Also, unless otherwise stated in the end note of a fic, you are welcome to translate, podfic, make fanart for, or write fic inspired by any of my works. For posting outside of AO3, please link to the original and let me know about it. If you post it to AO3, please list it as a related work. I do not, however, grant permission to repost or upload my works to other sites. Thank you!
> 
> The Chinese translation of Chapter 1 can be found on via the link above! Thanks again to Taiko1999 for the translation!
> 
> The Korean translation of Chapter 1 can found on [here](https://sbm5661.postype.com/post/6784266) and Chapter 2 is [here](https://sbm5661.postype.com/post/7477553). Thank you again to sbm5661 for providing this translation!

**_Backward_ ** _**Pawn** – chess term referring to a pawn placed behind its neighbor pawn that cannot be defended by another pawn, nor safely advanced._

“Hurry _up_ , stupid!!” Ai hissed impatiently. He shifted the bundle in his arms, adjusting the limp form against his shoulder to try and cradle it with one arm.

“I _am_ hurrying!!” Roboppi shot back, glaring at him over their shoulder. “You’re ruining my concentration!!”

“Oh, for the love of – _move!! I’ll just do it myself!”_

Rudely, he pushed Roboppi aside, not even waiting for them to fully extract their ethernet cables from the security keypad before slamming his palm against it. He would just have to apologize later. Right now, there was simply no time to be polite. His eyes began to glow, brow furrowing in concentration. His hacking job was inelegant and sloppy at best, given the extreme complexity of the system, but a few moments later, the lock finally beeped in acquiescence. The front gate slid open just enough to permit the two androids entry. As Roboppi scurried through, Ai’s fingers curled around the keypad, crushing it as he ripped it straight off the wall. His long legs easily carried him through the gate before it closed – hopefully permanently – behind him.

“Do you think Revolver will be mad we broke into his house?” Roboppi asked nervously.

The grey-white house with its huge glittering windows seemed so menacing in the growing dark of nightfall. Ai only huffed at it, adjusting his grip on his burden again.

“Do you think I care if he is?? Just go open the door!”

“Right!!”

Roboppi raced away to the door and Ai followed at a more sedate pace, trying his best not to disturb Fujiki Yusaku, who lay limp and unconscious in his arms. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on the boy’s pale, clammy skin, and his breathing had grown dangerously shallow. Ai’s grip tightened involuntarily around Yusaku, no less terrified that he might slip away without warning than he was when their flight had begun hours ago.

Ai flinched suddenly as the sound of the gunshot played through his head again. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to erase it from his auditory memory banks. Nor could he erase the stunned, breathless sort of look that had come over Yusaku’s face a second before a horrible, wet sort of wheeze had escaped him. Ai watched again in horror as the scene played out in his mind – of Yusaku slowly dropping to his knees. Of his hand coming away red from his abdomen. Of more of that red rapidly dying his shirt a terrible shade of crimson. Yusaku’s confusion that had lasted only seconds before he’d collapsed onto his side and had laid very, very still.

“Big Bro…?”

Someone had started screaming. Ai hadn’t realized right away that that someone had been him. He couldn’t recall now whether he’d screamed _no_ or _Yusaku_ or perhaps had just uttered some sort of hideous, inhuman shriek, but he felt the same, paralyzing fear gripping him as he had in that moment. He hadn’t been able to get to Yusaku fast enough. If he could only reach him, then he could—!

“ _Big Bro!!”_

Ai nearly gave himself whiplash from how quickly he snapped back into reality. That had been hours ago, he scolded himself. He couldn’t keep focusing on that. Yusaku needed him. His eyes found Roboppi staring up at him in deep concern which he dismissed with a scowl.

“Did you scan for anyone inside?”

“Yup! Not a soul inside. We’re in the clear!”

“Good. Let’s go.”

He pushed past the tiny android into the house. He hadn’t been inside of Kogami Ryoken’s residence since the first time he and Yusaku had confronted him outside of VRAINS. That day seemed like it had happened eons ago, now. The house had long since been empty, the Hanoi Leader choosing instead to take his Knights out on the open sea. The furnishings were still left – bland, tasteless, practical objects that only gave the vaguest impression of a home but possessed no real warmth or character. It was no more than a stage; an illusion, no more than a backdrop for a bizarre drama of lies and deceit. A shiver fell over Ai as he made his way into the den. Even Yusaku’s tiny hovel felt homier than this place. 

But it would do for now. Ryoken’s house was like a fortress with its highly sophisticated security system. SOL Technologies had been doggedly pursuing them for several hours, now – although how they always seemed to know exactly where they were hiding every time still baffled Ai. As a result, he hadn’t been able to properly bandage Yusaku’s wound. He laid the boy carefully on the large coffee table in the center of the room.

“Go see if you can find a first aid kit around here somewhere,” he told Roboppi.

Roboppi saluted in reply and hurried off, and Ai carefully peeled back Yusaku’s uniform jacket and shirt, wincing at the sight of the wound.

There was… _so much blood_ inside of humans. He was entirely appalled by it. Yusaku had lost too much of it over the last several hours – Ai’s clothes were a testament to that fact. And to think it had been so much worse initially! Ai shuddered to think about what might have happened had he not been so quick to react. There had been a few terrible seconds where he’d been completely frozen in horror until the soldiers who’d surrounded them since the start of their little standoff had moved towards Yusaku’s prone form.

“ _NO!”_ he remembered screaming. “ _DON’T YOU TOUCH HIM!”_

He no longer remembered how they’d gotten away, but he did remember running as fast as he could to the nearby docks to hide among the shipping crates and assess the damage. A quick scan over Yusaku had revealed a nick in a major vein by the bullet. Ai knew that if he hadn’t closed it up just then, Yusaku would have only had minutes to live. He winced again, recalling the desperation he’d felt, plunging two fingers into the wound, pinching off the vein, and super-heating his fingertips in effort to cauterize the area.

Ai buried his face in his hands, trying to forget the way Yusaku’s eyes had bulged and the way he’d started thrashing in pain until Roboppi had laid across him and covered his mouth to muffle his screams. It had been an awful, awful moment until poor Yusaku had finally succumbed to the pain and passed out entirely. The vein had been sealed, but Ai wasn’t sure how much other damage he’d done in the process and wasn’t even sure it had been enough to save Yusaku’s life. He might have slowed the bleeding for a few hours, but those precious few hours were up, he knew. Yusaku’s condition was only going to keep getting worse. He needed immediate medical care — more than what a quick internet search by a desperate A.I. could provide.

Ai raked fingers through his hair as he sat staring down at Yusaku, lying pale and motionless on Ryoken’s stupidly huge coffee table. What should he do? He moved off towards the kitchen, finding a washcloth and some soap and moving back to Yusaku’s side to futilely clean him off. Yusaku would have known what to do next in this situation — would have known where and how to hide them, how to stay low and avoid detection, how to disappear without a trace. He had an uncanny ability to stay clear, focused, and level-headed, even in the middle of a crisis like this. Ai desperately wished for even a fraction of the boy’s unshakeable calm. He felt panicked, terrified, and stupid, unable to concoct a plan more intelligent than _run! Get out!_

Ai paused his cleaning to search Yusaku’s face for some kind of inspiration or answer. But Yusaku could offer him nothing, now — was more helpless in this situation than either Ai or Roboppi. He seemed so dangerously fragile to Ai, then, and Ai almost despaired, knowing with total certainty that Yusaku was going to die. Ai could not help him. He needed a hospital, but Ai was too afraid to take him. SOL Technologies probably had every hospital in the city on notice by now. Even if Ai could get Yusaku into the emergency room and slip out again, what if SOL found out and took the boy hostage to lure Ai back out into the open?? What if they hurt him, trying to force him to reveal Ai’s location??

Ai yanked hard on his dark curls. He didn’t want that to happen, but he _had_ to think of _something._ Not for the first time, he considered contacting Kusanagi for help, but just as quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn’t risk it; he didn’t want to drag the man and his brother into this mess. He hadn’t wanted to drag _Yusaku_ into this mess, either, to be fair, but Yusaku hadn’t given him a choice in the matter.

_And look what happened,_ he thought bitterly.

He pushed some of Yusaku’s hair back from his face. He had to get him out of the city, but Yusaku would probably never survive the trip in his condition.

“Big Bro, I’m back! I found a whole bunch of bandages and stuff!!” Roboppi called as they rushed back into the room. They proudly held up the huge stack of first aid kits and gauze bandages they’d collected from somewhere in the house. “Will this stuff help Master??”

“I hope so.”

He did his best to clean and dress the wound with the supplies he had on hand. He tried not to sigh at the futility of it all as he carefully fastened the bandages around Yusaku’s torso. Perhaps he had bought himself a little bit more time to figure out what his next move should be. Work complete, he stood up and removed his cape, draping it over the couch before gently lifting Yusaku from the table and wrapping him up within the thick, satin-lined fabric. He pushed some more of the boy’s hair back from his brow. _A.I. don’t pray_ , he’d always said, but he was praying now to whatever god might listen to send him some kind of miracle.

The unmistakable sound of a door opening somewhere at the opposite end of the house set him immediately on edge. Hurried footsteps followed. Roboppi rushed towards the sound until Ai caught them about the waist and dragged them back with a warning hiss. He pulled the tiny android down behind the cover to the couch and put a finger to his lips before talking in sign language.

_Stay here. Protect Yusaku._

Roboppi’s tiny hands replied worriedly, _What are you going to do?_

_I’m going to deal with our unexpected guest,_ Ai answered, a grim smile splitting his face.

He moved off in a crouch, then, taking a wide circuit through the kitchen to avoid being seen from the hallway. He scoured the kitchen frantically for a weapon of some sort. The knives seemed the obvious choice, but he quickly dismissed them. Entirely too gruesome. He’d seen enough human blood for one evening, thank you very much. He grabbed the wooden rolling pin next to the knife block, hefting it in one hand. It had good weight to it. Yes, this would do. Satisfied with his choice, he dropped back into a crouch and made his way carefully to the hallway, pressing up against the wall beside the doorframe.

A figure soon emerged from the darkness. Ai stepped forward and swung the rolling pin high over his head. His unwelcome guest spun towards the motion, immediately bringing their hands up defensively before them.

“ _Wait!_ ” they yelped.

Ai froze, holding the rolling pin only centimeters away from a familiar, snowy-white head.

“…Re… _Revolver?!_ ” he sputtered.

Kogami Ryoken peeked cautiously around his upraised arms at the stunned android. Roboppi popped up from behind the couch in wide-eyed curiosity. All three blinked in bewildered silence until, as one, Ai and Ryoken relaxed their stances and moved a few steps apart.

“What are _you_ doing here?!” Ai blurted.

“You break into _my_ house, and you’re asking me what _I’m_ doing here?” Ryoken could not help but quip. He dismissed the point with a wave of his hand. “But we can discuss that later. Where is Fujiki?? Is he still with you??”

“He’s here,” Roboppi replied when Ai failed respond, clearly still struggling to grasp the reality of Ryoken’s presence. The tiny android’s face became drawn tight with fear a moment later as they looked down. “He’s hurt really bad, Mr. Revolver. I don’t think he’s gonna make it.”

Ryoken bolted at those words, rushing to the couch and peering down at the pale, unconscious boy lying there. His expression darkened in deep concern and he lifted his left wrist, touching a button on his Duel Disk.

“Genome; Faust,” he commanded, “Get a gurney up here _now_. Baira – stand by for vitals.”

Ryoken moved around the couch, producing a penlight in one hand, and pulled open each of Yusaku’s eyes, examining their reaction closely. He pressed two fingers to the side of Yusaku’s neck a moment later and frowned worriedly. He lifted his Duel Disk again.

“Pulse is very weak and erratic– only 40 beats per minute. Breathing is also erratic and shallow. Pupillary reaction is slow. He’s in bad shape.”

“He’s been _shot_ ,” Ai snapped. “What kind of shape did you expect him to be in, exactly??”

Ryoken shot him a look before ignoring him. “He’s definitely going to need a blood transfusion. Do you have enough? He’s the same type as me, so I can be a donor if not.”

“ _I have plenty,_ ” Baira replied. “ _We’ll have some prepped and ready to go once you bring him in._ ”

“I’m counting on you.”

Ai stormed over to glower at him the moment he lowered his wrist.

“How the hell did you know where to find us?!” he demanded.

“We watch the news, for one. They were broadcasting your standoff for hours. And then you made it easier for us to track you with your sloppy hack job on my security system. You’re paying to fix my gate, by the way.”

“Is Master going to be okay?” Roboppi spoke up before Ai could spit more venom.

Ryoken offered them a reassuring smile and placed a hand gently on top of their head. “He’s going to be just fine. Baira will fix him up. I’m just glad we got here before SOL did.” His face turned grim. “We need to move quickly. They’ll be knocking down the door any second.”

_“What do you mean?!”_ Ai nearly shrieked.

The high-pitched wail of sirens beat Ryoken to the punch. Ai rushed to the front window, a horrified yell escaping him. Genome and Faust appeared before Ryoken could chastise him, returning his focus back to Yusaku.

“Careful,” he bade as the three of them gently lifted the boy onto the gurney. The two men immediately rushed back the way they’d come. Roboppi started to follow them, but then lingered in the doorway, chewing on the hem of their jacket sleeve. Ryoken turned back to Ai, who at this time was backing away from the window, raking fingers through his hair and shaking his head in silent denial as the sirens grew louder.

“ _How_?!” he asked, voice strangled. “ _How do they keep finding us?!”_

“You _stole_ one of their SOLtis. You really think they wouldn’t put a tracking device inside of something like that??”

Ryoken regretted his harsh tone the instant he saw the android’s face twist into pure dread and self-loathing. Ai’s hands flew to his mouth, barely sublimating his scream.

“ _Oh god_ ,” he rasped.

He moved his hands away from his face and stared down at them as if he were seeing them for the first time. They were covered in blood – Yusaku’s blood. He froze. Blue and red lights began to dance through the room, gyrating to the haunting wail of the sirens on the street below, but Ai could not move. Ryoken could see plainly that panic had taken over and he began to move towards the android.

“Ai,” he called gently. “We have to go.”

“This is my fault.” The android sounded strangely distant. “I did this. I hurt Yusaku. We’ll never be safe from them and it’s all because of me.”

“Ai, it’s not like that…”

“You said it yourself! Of _course_ they would have installed a tracking device. I should have thought of that. Why am I always so _stupid_?!”

“Ai…”

“It doesn’t matter how far away we run — they can track me anywhere.” He pressed his hands over his face. “I’m such an idiot!”

Laughter began to bubble out of him, pure in its hysteria, and Ryoken knew he was losing him. Ai was clearly in a very dangerously fragile state of mind, but there was no time to address it right now. He had to get Ai onto the ship and fast.

“Ai, please,” he urged. “I know you’re upset but we can’t do this right now. We can talk about it more on the ship, okay? But we have to get out of here.”

“No, _you_ have to get out of here!” Ai blurted, wrenching his hands from his face and balling them into tight fists against his chest. “Please, I’m begging you – you have to take Yusaku and get as far away from me as you can _right now_!!”

“I’m not going to leave you here.”

“ _Revolver, please!_ He isn’t safe around me!! _None_ of you are!! _Please,_ just take him and _go_! I’ll buy you as much time as I can!”

“Buy us some time?? What are you—??”

Ryoken froze. His eyes grew wide in comprehension before his brow furrowed into a disapproving scowl.

“You are _not_ handing yourself over SOL.”

Ai drew himself up to his full height.

“ _Yes_ , I _am_.”

“ _Don’t be an idiot, Ai! They’ll destroy you – or worse!!”_

_“It’s the only way to ensure Yusaku’s safety!!”_ Ai began gesticulating wildly at Ryoken’s silent incredulity. “If I go with them willingly, maybe there’s a chance I could convince them to leave Yusaku alone. I’m the one they want, anyway! It’s worth a shot!!”

Ryoken scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Do you _really_ think it’s going to be that easy?! You think SOL Technologies is going to leave Fujiki alone, knowing who he is?!”

Ai’s mouth opened and closed uselessly for several minutes. He wrung his hands anxiously and his eyes darted all around the room.

“W-well, that’s why…that’s why _you’ll_ just have to keep him out of it!! You’re the only one who could do it, Revolver, so please—!”

“Are you _kidding_?! Do you honestly believe that Fujiki Yusaku wouldn’t drag himself out of _whatever_ hospital bed I put him in _by any means necessary_ in order to get you back?! There is no force on this _earth_ that could stop him, not even me!! He took a _bullet_ for you, for God’s sake!! If that doesn’t prove to you how far he’s willing to go to protect you, then I’d hate to see what would!”

Ai was visibly trembling now. He buried his hands into his hair and yanked hard on his curls as tears began to pour down his cheeks.

“ _Stop_ ,” he begged, stamping his feet anxiously. “Please, just _stop!_ I don’t want him to get hurt anymore, _please_!! I don’t want _anyone_ to get hurt because of me!!”

Bright searchlights suddenly snapped on, flooding the room around them with a blinding white light.

“ _Ignis, we know you’re in there_ ,” came a militant voice over a loudspeaker. “ _Give yourself up. There is nowhere left for you to run.”_

Ai lifted his head, hands falling to his sides. He turned in the direction of the voice, suddenly transfixed.

“Ai, _don’t_ ,” Ryoken warned, taking a step towards him. “There’s still a way out. Pandor’s already jamming your tracking signal. Once we get to the ship, I can remove the tracking chip completely. _Please_ , I _promise_ you – we can fix this!” He moved another step, forcing Ai to lock eyes with him. “Please, just come with me.”

“ _Ignis, this is your chance to surrender peacefully. No one has to get hurt.”_

Ai’s hands were shaking. Tears ran freely down his cheeks. He stared at Ryoken helplessly, the perfect portrait of a frightened, cornered animal.

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered to Ryoken. “I don’t want Yusaku to get hurt anymore. I’m _scared_.”

“I know you are,” Ryoken replied calmly, still moving towards him. “But it’s going to be okay. _I promise_. You and Roboppi and Yusaku will be safe on my ship. You just have to come with me, Ai, okay?”

“ _You have until the count of 5, Ignis, and then we are coming in after you. 5…”_

“Big Bro, _please_ ,” Roboppi begged. “Master _needs_ us! Please hurry!!”

_“…4…”_

Ryoken offered his hand. He said not a word, just continued to hold Ai’s gaze steadily. He could see the fear plain as day in Ai’s golden eyes and did his best to keep all of his own private anxieties hidden away.

“… _3…_ ”

“Ai. Let’s go. Yusaku’s waiting.”

That was enough. Ai came back to himself in that moment, squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw. He reached out and grasped Ryoken’s hand with his own. Without hesitation, Ryoken turned and led him away, sweeping up Roboppi in their wake.

Out they fled, out the back door and down the small dock to the ship that waited patiently for them.

“Pandor,” Ryoken said into his Duel Disk. “We’re all aboard. Weigh anchor and full speed ahead.”

_“Aye, Master,”_ Pandor replied calmly. “ _Full speed ahead.”_

By the time SOL’s army had poured over the house and arrived at the dock, Hanoi’s floating stronghold was already out to sea, carrying their targets well beyond their reach.


	2. Luft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sad naked robot times abound while Yusaku goes into surgery.

**_Luft - German word for "air", sometimes also "space" or "breath"; in chess, it designates the space or square left by a pawn move into which a king (usually a castled one) may then retreat, especially such a space made intentionally to avoid back-rank checkmate. A move leaving such a space is often said to "give the king some luft"._ **

Pandor was waiting for them when Ryoken led Ai and Roboppi below deck. She stood with her hands folded loosely before her and a quiet, serene look on her face.

“Baira has requested your assistance in the operating room, Master,” she told Ryoken. “Spectre is standing by to help you scrub in.”

“Thank you, Pandor. I’ll head there right away.”

Ryoken turned towards Ai. The android seemed quite dazed, almost as if he was only half aware of what was happening around him now. Roboppi peered up at him in concern as Ryoken gave Ai’s hand a light squeeze, finally drawing Ai’s gaze up from the floor.

“I have to go help Baira,” he said softly. “Please stay here. Pandor will get you whatever you need, okay? I’ll be back later to let you know how everything went.”

Ai’s brow furrowed in slight distress at the thought of being left alone again, but before he could reply, Ryoken had already let go of his hand and was moving off down the hall in a hurry. He took a half-step after the man, uttering a half-syllable of confusion before Pandor stepped in front of him and put a hand on his upper arm to stop him.

“Please do not worry, Ai. Fujiki is in good hands. Master and Miss Baira will take care of him.”

She paused as she gave him a once-over, then tilted her head curiously.

“Why don’t we get you cleaned up?”

“What?” Ai replied eloquently.

Pandor gestured at his appearance. “I doubt very much that you’d want to remain covered in blood.”

For the first time since his disastrous encounter with SOL Technologies, Ai looked down at himself. A vaguely ill feeling swept over him as he took in the sight of all the dark stains dotting his appearance.

“Ah…yeah…probably…probably should clean up…,” he said thickly.

Pandor’s smile gentled further. She gestured down the hall behind her.

“Right this way, then.”

-.-.-.-.-.-

“Right this way, sir,” Spectre said as soon as Ryoken entered the operating suite, and Ryoken wasted no time, moving towards the sink to scrub his forearms and hands thoroughly.

“How’s Fujiki’s condition?”

“Critical, I think. He crashed a few times when he got here, but Baira was able to resuscitate him. She started him on blood and fluids already.”

“Good.”

He shut off the water with his elbow and gently patted his hands and forearms with a sterile towel before turning and stepping into the surgical gown Spectre held out for him. In short order, Ryoken was fully dressed for surgery. Spectre made one final check of the knots before giving Ryoken an affirming nod.

“Ready. Will you need my assistance any further, sir?”

“No, thank you. Please go to the bridge and make sure we aren’t being followed. If you see anything, report to me right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

With a quick bow, Spectre departed and Ryoken turned towards the door to the operating room. He paused for a deep breath, steadying his nerves.

It had been some years since he had been in an operating room. The last time had been an emergency operation on his father a few years ago. Images of that moment flashed briefly before his eyes, blurred a bit by the passage of time. He still had mixed feelings about the events of that day. Faust and Genome had been too busy getting SOL Technologies off their backs to be able to assist Baira with the operation, so she had been forced to pull in a then-preteen Ryoken to help her.

He still remembered the squeamish terror he’d felt stepping into that room and the way he’d tried desperately to swallow it for his father’s sake. It hadn’t helped much. His hands had shaken the entire time, and he’d dropped as many tools as he’d managed to hand over. Baira had remained very calm and patient with him the whole time – perhaps more than she rightly ought to have. There had been no other choice.

There was no other choice now, either. The similarities of then and now were not lost on him. SOL Technologies was on his tail, again, and Ryoken would not have trusted Fujiki’s care to any doctor other than Baira, just as he hadn’t trusted anyone else with his father’s care but her. And yet, somehow that’s where the similarities ended. His feelings towards his father remained mixed now, but his feelings towards Fujiki…well, they were not mixed, but he certainly couldn’t put a name to them. Duty had driven him to protect his father in those days. What was driving him, now?

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be distracted by such trivial matters. He pushed through the swinging door and entered the operating room.

-.-.-.-.-.-

“The SOLtis is only rated a 67 on the IP scale, you know,” Pandor said to Ai as they stopped before one of the doors at the end of the hall. “It cannot be submerged indefinitely. Therefore, I will set a timer for 30 minutes.”

Her words seemed to spark Ai’s temper. He scowled at her.

“I’m not an infant, you know. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Of course not. But you _have_ just been through a very traumatic event. Studies have shown that people who have gone through similar trauma report finding the sound of water to be very soothing and therefore tend to linger in the shower. That would be unwise for you to do so, so it cannot hurt to have someone else watching the time.”

It was sound logic that he could not refute, but that didn’t make it any less annoying. Ai only sighed as she opened the door, and then promptly wrinkled his nose in distaste for what he saw on the other side. It was another study in Ryoken’s thoroughly boring and completely uninspired tastes in décor. There was a very practical bed with a plain, dark wooden headboard set against the unremarkable white wall. Its bedspread was a very dull and boring geometric pattern in cream and eggshell colors. A squat, practical dresser rested across from the foot of the bed, made of the same dark wood as the bedframe, and on the right-hand side of the bed was a nightstand of a similar squat and practical shape. It was the thoughtless sort of mundanity one might find in a mail-order catalog. Even the curtains were the same tasteless eggshell and cream as the bedspread.

Ai put his hands on his hips and scowled at the room.

“Would it kill your boss to show a _little_ creativity?? I haven’t even been here five minutes, and I already want to die of boredom.”

Pandor only smiled her serene little smile and pointed to a door on the right-hand side of the room.

“The bathroom is over there. I will take your soiled garments from you for cleaning.”

She took up position next to the bathroom door and turned back towards him, folding her hands politely once more. Ai only heaved another irritated sigh. A one-track mind, this android possessed. Even Ryoken’s A.I. seemed programmed for boring. He marched dutifully into the bathroom if only to be rid of her company and shut the door behind him.

His attention was immediately arrested by the sight of himself in the full-length mirror making up one wall of the small room. If the SOLtis could vomit, Ai surely would have done it. He looked _awful_ , painted nearly head to toe in the gruesome rusty browns and scarlets of human blood. _Yusaku’s blood._ Against his better judgement, he stepped closer to the mirror, peering at himself carefully. God, there was even some on his face and possibly in his hair. No wonder Roboppi kept looking at him so worriedly. It was honestly too bad he couldn’t throw up, he thought, because it might have made him feel better. Instead, he would just be stuck with that vaguely ill feeling twisting around unpleasantly inside of him.

“I look like I stepped out of a horror movie,” he muttered, knowing all the while that the sullen quip was simply a knee-jerk impulse to put on a brave front.

_Always a façade with you,_ he thought bitterly at his reflection.

He spun away from the mirror and began to undress. He fumbled with every button, mind too busy whirling in every direction to pay attention to what his fingers were doing. He _felt_ like he had stepped _into_ a horror movie, if he was being honest – a movie he desperately wanted to hit rewind on and go back to the parts where it had been fun and exciting trying to blend in and live among humans. Lightning had warned him against trying to do so, but Ai had been _so good_ ; had tried _so hard_ to behave and not draw attention to himself and blend in. He had wanted to believe the simulation’s future was wrong, but now…?

He shut his eyes and clutched his shirt in a death grip as images of a pale and broken Yusaku floated before his mind’s eye. _No. Please, don’t._ He didn’t want to think about that anymore. It was all his fault, and he knew it. And no doubt, things were only going to get worse. SOL Technologies was not going to give up their pursuit of Ai. He’d be a fool to think he or Yusaku or Roboppi were safe, even now in Hanoi’s custody.

It had been useless to go with Ryoken, but he’d been scared. He clenched his teeth and glared at the floor. Why was he such a _coward_?? Why was he _always_ running away to hide behind someone else instead of facing his problems head on?! His hands trembled as he peeled off the last of his garments, although whether it was out of fear or anger at himself, he couldn’t tell. Trouble would follow Ai no matter where he ran. It was just his fate as an Ignis, and anyone who got involved with him would only get hurt.

After all, he wondered bitterly, how long could Ryoken really keep any of them safe so long as Ai was aboard this ship? It would only be a matter of time before SOL came barking up this tree, too, and what would happen to Yusaku, then?? He balled up his ruined clothes furiously and turned for the door. He would only stay for a short period of time. Just long enough to make sure Yusaku was okay, and that he and Roboppi would remain safe and well cared for after he was gone.

He cracked open the door. Pandor was still waiting patiently in her spot with her smile planted firmly in place. Ai was beginning to find that smile extremely irritating. He thrust his bundled garments at her. If she noticed his annoyance at all, she did a very good job of hiding it, taking the bundle with only grating graciousness. She tucked it delicately under one arm.

“It may take some time for me to clean these. I will see if I can find you something else to wear in the meantime. I should return shortly, but in the event of my prolonged absence, I have synced my timer with Roboppi. They will notify you when the time is up if I am not here to do it.” She tilted her head curiously. “Is there anything else you require right now?”

“No,” Ai snapped before shutting the door in her face. He almost felt bad for being so petulant and very nearly opened the door to apologize, but blew his concern away with yet another a heavy sigh and padded over to the shower. She would no doubt understand, and that thought somehow irritated him even more.

He tried to put her – and all of his other concerns – out of his mind for now as he climbed inside the shower stall.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ryoken was immediately greeted by that familiar, sterile scent and the low, steady hum of life-saving machines at work. The chirp of the heart monitor keeping steady time brought him some measure of comfort. That sound meant Fujiki was still alive, still fighting, still had a chance.

Baira was already hard at work at an area on Fujiki just out of sight behind a small curtain of fabric as he approached the operating table.

“How is he?”

“He’s stabilizing,” Baira replied, not looking up as her hands swiftly moved to grab more gauze. “His blood pressure and heart rate came up after I started him on the IV.” She nodded her head towards the bags of fluids and blood hanging on poles to her left. Her eyes grinned at Ryoken. “He’s a fighter, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised about that.”

Ryoken glanced to his right. Fujiki Yusaku was almost unrecognizable with a non-rebreather mask strapped over his face and a medical cap covering his hair. He looked weirdly small lying there; almost deflated like a balloon. He was nearly Ryoken’s height, and yet Ryoken could not shake the feeling that the boy had gotten smaller somehow. Maybe it was the exhausted set of his brow. He looked so tired, and so young. Ryoken felt a sharp pang of sympathy for him. He’d been fighting for his life for hours – no. Longer than that. _Years_. And now, it seemed like all the fight had gone out of him.

And just like that, Ryoken was suddenly eight years old again, peering down at a listless little boy with glassy green eyes on a dim monitor. Fujiki had been very small back then, too – so very small, defeated, and exhausted. _Fragile._ Yes. That was a good word for how he looked to Ryoken now. _Fragile._ Ryoken didn’t like it. Baira called him a fighter, but how could this boy fight anymore when he looked so _tired_??

_Hey, you,_ he heard himself say.

“Sir?”

He blinked, realizing he’d been staring a little too long. He shook his head and gave Baira a rueful look.

“Ah…sorry. Got lost in thought.”

He took up his position at the tray of surgical tools beside Baira.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

_Think of three things._

“Yes,” he replied.

_Three reasons to go home._

“Then, let’s begin. Scalpel, please.”

He placed the instrument in Baira’s hand with practiced ease. “Scalpel.”

_Three reasons to live._

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ai yanked hard on the shower knob, turning it as far as it would go towards hot. He didn’t need to worry about being scalded — his silicone-based skin was far more heat-resistant than the sensitive skin of humans, and since he could also regulate his core body temperatures at will, he barely even registered hot or cold at all. His desire for hot water right now was less about warming up and more about filling the space around him with thick clouds of steam in the vain hope that maybe he could evaporate, too, and disappear altogether. It wouldn’t work, of course, but he liked the thought. And, if nothing else, it helped to muffle the world around him for awhile.

He braced his hands against the shower wall and let the water run down his back. He began dampening all his inputs one by one until the world around him was no more than a faint buzzing against his sensors. It reminded him of the cozy security of Yusaku’s Duel Disk where he could hide and pretend the outside world didn’t exist, and where he could tell himself that he was no more than a loose collection of code and algorithms and certainly nothing as sophisticated as an A.I. with free will. He wanted to believe that, now; wanted to pretend even for just a little bit that the world outside of his quiet little haven didn’t really exist, or perhaps that he wasn’t really part of it. Perhaps it was no more than just a dream and he’d wake up from this place, soon.

Something began to gently uncoil inside of him — a tension of sorts that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding until now. He felt a deep sense of relief. The world outside had started to feel like _too much_. He’d been so overwhelmed by everything he’d simply stopped being able to act or even think. It was a very alarming glitch in his programming, one he still couldn’t find and repair despite the numerous scans he ran each time it occurred. It had been like this even when he was in his Ignis form, and he had only been able to shake the confusion by retreating into Yusaku’s Duel Disk for a time.

For the first time in several hours, his mind felt clear and focused. He could move again. He slowly allowed his settings to return to normal and found a washcloth and soap in the built-in shower racks. He marveled a bit at these objects. Humans had an answer for everything, it seemed. When they needed to get dirt and grime off, they’d invented soap. He caught the faintest whiff of jasmine and paused to sniff the bar of soap more closely, lighting up a bit when the jasmine scent wafted more strongly through his olfactory sensors.

“Oh! Very nice, Professor Revolver~!”

Ryoken’s decorating might suck, but the man had decent taste in soaps, at least. Eagerly, he lathered up and began to scrub himself off. The ritual of bathing was still quite foreign to him, as were most human rituals, so he took his time to ensure every inch of his synthetic skin would be clean. The washcloth’s nubby texture was rather pleasant against his skin. Ai had become deeply fascinated by fabrics since acquiring this SOLtis. He had added a miniature Real Solid Vision generator to his body shortly after he’d acquired it and could generate whatever outfit he could think up whenever he wanted, but there was something about wearing actual, human clothing that he really enjoyed. Likewise, there was something about this whole bathing thing that he was beginning to think he could really get into.

His mood was just beginning to improve as he carefully rinsed the shampoo out of his hair when the image of Yusaku lying pale and lifeless on Ryoken’s coffee table suddenly flashed before his eyes again. It was an emotional gut punch. He froze and felt immediately guilty for luxuriating even a little while Yusaku’s life hung on by a thread. His hands dropped to his sides and he stared blankly at the drain, watching the water swirl around it in a mini vortex. It was okay, he tried to tell himself. Everything would be alright. Ryoken would not let Yusaku die; would do everything in his power to save the boy just like he always did. It would be fine.

_Yes, Ryoken will have to save him because you can’t. You only bring Yusaku trouble,_ the guilt sneered. Ai’s hands came up to rest against his mouth, as if to block a scream he could not give voice. It was true; all of it. He had caused this.

_He could die, and it’s all your fault._

Yes, he knew that, too. It should have been him. He should have taken that bullet, not Yusaku. His body could easily be repaired, but Yusaku’s…?? Who knew how long it would take for Yusaku to recover from this, if he recovered at all?? Yusaku should _never_ have even been in that situation, and he wouldn’t have been if Ai had never existed in the first place.

Ai’s hands balled into fists against his mouth. He wished he could disappear now. If he hadn’t been so selfish…hadn’t sought out Yusaku…if he had _just_ left well enough alone and had just let Yusaku live his life, all of this could have been avoided. Bad enough he had completely derailed the boy’s life; now, Yusaku was somewhere on this ship _dying_ , and it was all Ai’s fault.

A sob suddenly escaped Ai, despite his best efforts to cram all of his guilt back down inside of him. He sank slowly towards the shower floor, curling up into a squat and hugging his knees. Yusaku… _Yusaku!_ What would he do if Yusaku died?? Would Ryoken even bother to keep him on this ship?? Ryoken hated the Ignis. His truce had been with Yusaku, not with Ai. Would Ryoken throw Ai out to the wolves again – leave him to fend for himself against SOL Technologies??

It would be impossible to run, then. SOL’s reach was very long. They had their fingers in everything. The images of Earth being cut to pieces flashed through Ai’s mind, filling him with terror.

“ _Please_ ,” he whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut tight and rocking slightly. The water battered his back as more sobs escaped him. “ _Please_ _don’t let him die_. _Please_. Yusaku…oh god, _Yusaku…!!”_

He completely dissolved after that, sobbing uncontrollably, wracked with fear for both himself and Yusaku. He’d never felt so lonely and confused in his whole life than he did right now. He wanted the other Ignis. He wanted _Yusaku_. He wanted _someone_ , _anyone_ to come and make all of this better. But no one was coming, and it was all his fault.

Only Roboppi, sitting next to the bathroom door, bore silent witness to the sound of his grief.


	3. Opening Development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akira finds himself in a pickle and Ryoken definitely, absolutely, probably does NOT crush on the android.

**_Opening_ ** _\- The beginning phase of a chess game, roughly the first dozen moves, but it can extend much farther. In the opening players set up their pawn structures, develop their pieces, and usually castle. The opening precedes the middlegame._

 **_Development_ ** _\- The movement of non-pawn pieces in the opening from their original squares to squares where they can be more active. Development of one's pieces is one of the objectives of the opening phase of the game._

Zaizen Akira rubbed his eyes and then his face. It was probably the 100th time he’d done so in the last 20 minutes. _And speaking of the time…_ He tapped his phone for a quick check. _2:30a.m.?_ He almost groaned. Hopefully, Aoi had already gone to bed instead of waiting up for him at this late hour. He’d promised her to be home before midnight so they could talk about what had happened the evening prior. The media had been circulating cellphone footage of the day’s events for hours and she, like everyone else, had been demanding explanations that he could not yet give. He considered once more letting her stay home from school. With her connection to him and SOL Technologies, her classmates would no doubt bombard her with questions, and she’d already seemed extremely upset when she’d called.

Even now, the answers had not been particularly forthcoming. Akira was still having trouble parsing together everything that had led up to this tragic confrontation. He stared hard at his notes, laid out before him on the desk. Perhaps it had started two months ago, when the Dark Ignis commonly referred to as “Ai” had stolen two S-Class SOLtis from the SOL Technologies factory only hours before they were due to hit the market. Akira had launched the investigation the moment they’d been reported stolen by the factory’s inventory check, but, puzzlingly, his superiors hardly seemed bothered by it. Instead, they’d sent him very clear orders: _Track the Dark Ignis, but do not otherwise interfere with it._

The orders had set off immediate alarm bells in Akira’s mind. It was not that he’d been given a particularly difficult task; quite the contrary. All SOLtis had been equipped with a tracking chip in order to make it easier to keep tabs on the ones in circulation, so locating and following Ai’s signal had hardly been a challenge. No, what troubled Akira was the fact that Ai had been seemingly allowed to roam freely for two full months. _Why?_ It was a question still nagging at him. He could hardly believe his superiors had been so moved by feelings of charity as to _donate_ two of their highest-grade androids. No, there had to be more to it than that. They had effectively put the Ignis on a leash, and Akira strongly suspected it was because they were looking for something.

But _what_ they were looking for still remained a mystery. He’d been very careful about probing into the matter, holding no illusions as to why he’d been reinstated as Security Manager. Had Kitamura not met such an unfortunate end during the Tower of Hanoi incident, Akira doubted very much he’d be sitting in this office right now. And after he’d directly disobeyed Queen and forcibly logged the deranged Go Onizuka out of Link VRAINS during the A.I. experiments, he knew he was walking on dangerously thin ice. His movements were undoubtably being monitored, so he had deigned to take extra precautions while making his inquiries. So far, his search had turned up absolutely nothing. Whatever it was they were looking for was known only to the highest levels of the company and would require more intricate footwork to procure.

Whether this had anything to do with what had happened last evening was still unclear. Akira activated his holomonitor and began digging through emails he’d received only a few hours ago. Most were from various media outlets and local stores answering his requests for the footage of SOL’s confrontation with Ai. He queued up several of the videos and let them play. He recognized immediately the nearly abandoned section of Den City. It was an excellent place to hide in if a person was hoping to fly under the radar; Bessho Ema kept her base of operations there, for example. Ai’s signal had been broadcasting from that area for the last two months.

Given the scarcity of cameras in that area, Akira had been thrilled to learn there was any footage at all. His eyes darted between the various angles given him by different cameras. He was very eager to see what had happened in the hopes he’d be able to figure out why, after two months, SOL Technologies was no longer content with simply tracking the Dark Ignis. Something had prompted upper management to act, but _what_? Was it possible they had finally found what they were looking for?

For several minutes, nothing appeared. Akira double checked to make sure he was playing the videos at twice the speed, but even with the sped-up time, the area remained empty until, suddenly, Ai burst forth from an alleyway into the street. Akira slowed the footage back down to real time, watching carefully as Ai pulled up short as SOL operatives flooded in from the opposite side, whirling as the rest came pouring in from the alley behind him. SOL had the clear advantage of numbers, and Ai’s posture became immediately defensive as he turned and surveyed the forces surrounding him. He was like a wild animal in a trap, jerking his head at the slightest movement. He paused his turn and appeared to be listening – likely to a commanding officer issuing a demand for an immediate surrender. The videos contained no sound, but Akira could make an educated guess based on his own experiences with these sorts of situations. He watched in trepidation as a few soldiers behind the android lifted their guns and took aim.

But then to the complete surprise of everyone, including Akira, someone dropped down from one of the surrounding buildings and broke through the blockade of SOL operatives to jump between Ai and those guns with arms outstretched.

Akira recognized the boy’s school uniform immediately, but he was even more shocked to realize he recognized the boy, as well. _Fujiki Yusaku._ He was the same boy who had found Aoi on the school roof the day she’d been infected with that terrible Hanoi virus, and he’d stayed at the hospital with her until Akira had arrived. Akira folded his hands in front of him, watching Fujiki talk passionately to the men surrounding him and the android. What was the connection between him and the Ignis? Was this simply just another case of Fujiki being in the right place at the right time to intervene, as he had for Aoi? Akira peered harder at Ai. If this was just some random encounter the boy had stumbled across, why, then, did the android’s body language indicate such deep concern for the young man?

So intent was he on Ai that he missed the critical moment when things went horribly wrong. Fujiki jerked, hunching as if in sudden pain. Akira’s eyes flew back to him just as he crumpled towards the ground. Some of the operatives began to move towards the fallen boy, but Ai quickly snatched him up, backing away from the grasping hands. He turned in circles frantically, trying to find an exit through the throng. He looked completely panicked. SOL’s forces closed in on him.

And then, everything erupted into complete chaos. An unseen force sent the closest operatives and debris flying, and then the cameras went dead. Akira blinked in bewilderment. His fingers moved across his keyboard, rewinding the video a few frames. He slowed the footage down more, hoping to see what had caused this strange phenomenon. He saw the operatives slowly close in. He saw the android’s eyes suddenly glow brightly. A second later, a barely visible wave of energy rolled out from the android like a concussive wave off an explosion. Akira paused the footage, backing it up to the moment Ai’s eyes began to glow. He sat back in his chair, at a complete loss for an answer. He did not believe the SOLtis was capable of this sort of display of power. Was this the power of the Ignis inside it?

“ _Magnificent_ , isn’t it?”

Akira jumped, spooked from his thoughts by the unexpected interruption. Queen stood in the doorway of his office, her form outlined by the light from the hallway. She smirked and waved a hand dismissively as he fumbled to get to his feet.

“Oh, don’t bother with formalities, Zaizen. You know how they bore me.”

Akira eyed her warily as he lowered himself back into his chair. This was highly unusual. The most powerful executive in all of SOL Technologies was not the sort to just pop in unexpectedly for informal visits with her staff. She vastly preferred to take meetings virtually from her yacht, so if she’d come to see Akira directly, it meant he’d stumbled into something highly classified.

Again.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, ma’am?” he asked, and silently congratulated himself for keeping the nervous tremor out of his voice.

She perched delicately in one of the overstuffed armchairs directly before his desk, crossing her shapely legs and idly studying her perfect manicure.

“That was quite a debacle we had this afternoon, wouldn’t you agree?”

He didn’t answer. Apparently, she didn’t need him to. She studied the footage hovering between them on Akira’s holomonitor, instead. A hungry smile began to curl her painted lips.

“The Dark Ignis is really something special, isn’t he?”

This time she looked expectantly at Akira. He averted her gaze by looking up at the screen.

“I suppose.”

“Did you know? That of all the Ignis, this one is the only one who has managed to survive?” She tilted her head, propping a hand against her chin in a mock inquisitive fashion. “Why is that, do you think?”

He sat back in his chair a moment, thinking very carefully about how he should answer. She was clearly trying to pump him for information, trying to gauge just how much he knew. In truth, he hadn’t dared dig much further into the Lost Incident after his confrontation with Playmaker inside the Mother Computer.

“I would have no idea where to begin to answer. I know very little about the Ignis,” he replied honestly, feeling a bit relieved at her smug smile. If she was this happy about his answer, it meant he was in far less trouble than he could have been. His heart dropped a moment later when her expression sobered.

“Zaizen, what I am about to tell you cannot leave this room.”

His mouth went dry. If she was about to divulge highly classified material, it meant she needed Akira for something. _Or_ it meant that he already knew so much that it was making the higher ups at SOL uncomfortable, so they needed to ensure his silence. He swallowed hard and nodded. What else could an obedient dog do but accept the muzzle his masters had fitted for him?

“As you know, the Ignis Project tragically involved the kidnapping of six young children who were subjected to _horrific_ experiences, all in the name of developing an Artificial Intelligence with free will,” Queen said.

Akira barely sublimated the urge to roll his eyes. What hidden camera was she pandering to, he wondered idly.

“Despite his _extremely_ questionable methods, Kogami Kiyoshi did produce some, shall we say, _educational_ results,” she went on. “For example, according to his data, Subject 006 – the Origin of IGN-006 or, more simply, ‘the Dark Ignis’ – displayed unusually high levels of mental endurance and dexterity compared to the other children. Kogami referred to these levels as ‘ _instinct_ ’, which he defined as a proficiency in problem-solving that would allow for a higher rate of survival. An ability to think on one’s feet in the most arduous of conditions, you could say.”

“Because whatever ‘instinct’ their Origins had would have been passed on to the Ignis,” Akira summarized. “And that’s why the Dark Ignis has survived so much longer than the rest.”

Queen looked positively delighted. “ _Very good_ , Zaizen! I knew you were clever. It’s why we gave you back your job, and why we know we can trust you with this information.”

The veiled threat hung clearly in the air. They wanted him to be clever, yes, but not _too_ clever. And certainly not in ways that might harm them in the long run. He met her gaze and tried to keep his expression and posture as non-threatening as possible. The leash was very short, now. He had no desire to strangle himself with it.

Her eyes moved back to the holomonitor. “Do we know the status on that boy the Ignis took?”

Akira was more than relieved to change the subject, his own eyes moving back down to the notes on his desk. “Unfortunately, no. The Ignis disappeared with the boy from a privately-owned dock at the edge of the city. We’re trying to triangulate their location, but it’s proving impossible. Whatever ship they boarded is untraceable by any of our usual radars. And we believe they’re constantly on the move, making it even more difficult to determine their exact coordinates.”

Queen did not look pleased by that answer. “It’s _imperative_ we find that boy, Zaizen.”

Akira struggled for a response, fighting to keep the surprise off his face. “…if you are concerned for the company’s reputation if this gets out, then I assure you…we’re already doing everything we can to minimize the damage. I have already been feeding rumors that this was no more than a malfunction of some equipment we were testing.”

She dismissed his response with a wave of her hand. “I’m hardly worried about _that_. We need that boy, and we need him _alive_. He’s an important part of our continued work with A.I.”

He stared at her in blank confusion. She tilted her head.

“You really don’t know who that boy is? He goes to your sister’s school, doesn’t he?”

She was mocking him, dangling the missing pieces of his investigation in front of him like scraps of meat, hoping he’d bite. He chose to remain silent, instead. She smirked. She was enjoying watching him squirm.

“Well, perhaps that’s because you’re better acquainted with him under his alias, _Playmaker_.”

Akira could not hide his surprise this time, his eyes widening. There it was – the missing piece. The connection between Fujiki Yusaku and Ai. _Playmaker._ Queen only smiled blithely as if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb on him, hadn’t just revealed the identity of the biggest thorn in SOL’s side since their hunt for the Ignis had begun a decade ago.

“H-how…?” Akira nearly squeaked. “How do you know this?”

“Who else would the Dark Ignis seek out? This is why we let it go when it took our SOLtis. The Ignis were always naturally drawn to their Origins. A fortunate flaw in their programming – it made it so easy for us to find Subject 006 again after all these years.” Her brow furrowed again as she stared at the holomonitor. “We thought the Ignis themselves might prove useful to our purposes, but we were wrong. We gained nothing from the Earth Ignis, nothing that would enable us to create more A.I. like them. The secret lies in the Origin – _that_ is why we need Subject 006 back.”

Akira blinked rapidly. “To…to create more Ignis??”

“Of course! Look at the results we got from him when he was only six years old. Imagine what we’d get from him now that he’s had a full decade of life experiences behind him!”

Akira _was_ looking – at a plot beginning to unfold before him that had likely been 10 years in the making. A growing sense of horror filling him, Akira went cold to the bone at Queen’s next words.

“Subject 006 will create for us the _ultimate_ Ignis.”

-.-.-.-.-.-

It was nearly 4 a.m. when Spectre helped Ryoken wheel Fujiki out of the operating room. The surgery had been a success, if a tricky one, with Baira spending as much time as she dared meticulously searching for even the tiniest bullet fragment that might have still remained within Fujiki’s body. Only when she was confident no more were hidden did she finish up and authorize him to be moved to the recovery room. When his heart rate and breathing had fully stabilized, she finally permitted Ryoken to summon Spectre to move Fujiki into one of the four infirmary rooms aboard the ship. He still had a low-grade fever, but Baira assured Ryoken that such a thing was sometimes normal post-operation.

“That was a pretty big shock his body took,” she said. “We’ll keep an eye on it, and if it spikes or doesn’t go down in a few hours, then we’ll have something to worry about.”

It was a short trip to the infirmary room. Ryoken had painstakingly recreated — and maybe even improved upon — the sterile atmosphere of the rooms in the best hospitals in Den City. No price was too great when it came to the safety and well-being of his crew. Each of the four rooms had the very best in medical equipment and supplies, all of which had been hand-picked by Baira to suit her needs. Ryoken had never been more grateful for her expertise than he was this night.

Spectre did not speak more than was necessary during transport. No doubt he could sense Ryoken’s growing exhaustion. He had always been in tune with his leader’s moods and it had made him an invaluable second-in-command, able to uncannily anticipate Ryoken’s needs. This was another thing Ryoken was quite grateful for, and he was pleased to see that the months at sea had done tremendous wonders for calming some of Spectre’s more aggressive moods. He spent most of his time tending to the small greenhouse Ryoken had built for him, growing various herbs for cooking and even some with medicinal properties. And, perhaps, some of his calm reflected some measure of the peace Ryoken himself had begun to find out here on the open ocean.

Ryoken carefully stifled a yawn, body moving on autopilot as they carefully lined up the bed in the center of the room and locked it into place. It would be many hours before he could sleep, however; Fujiki would need to be actively monitored for a few more hours, and Ryoken had offered to take the first shift so that Baira could get some rest.

“Shall I put on some coffee for you, sir?” Spectre inquired.

“That would be wonderful, yes. Thank you, Spectre.”

With his trademark short bow, Spectre exited the room. Ryoken quickly hung the IV bags and began setting up the various monitoring equipment when he heard a faint sound from the bed beside him and Fujiki began to stir.

Ryoken stood completely dumbfounded for a long moment. He supposed he could blame it on his exhaustion, but that fact that the boy was waking up _already_ simply astounded him. He knew exactly how much morphine they’d given Fujiki, and it wasn’t possible for it to be wearing off already. He should still be snoozing obliviously for a couple more hours, but somehow, some way, Fujiki stubbornly forced his eyes open. Ryoken stared down at those hazy green slits in complete astonishment.

“Good _grief_ ,” he blurted. “I said no force on earth could stop you, but I didn’t actually _mean_ that!”

Fujiki wasn’t paying any attention to him, looking around in visibly growing distress as he realized he didn’t recognize his surroundings. Ryoken’s shock quickly turned to horror when he tried to sit up.

“What are you doing??” he said, quickly grabbing the boy by the shoulders and holding him gently in place. “You can’t get up yet!”

Fujiki struggled feebly against Ryoken’s grasp, uttering tiny, confused sounds as he grappled for coherence.

“ _Wh-where…??_ ” he croaked.

“You’re on my ship. You just got out of surgery because you’ve been shot. Please stop trying to get up.”

Fujiki didn’t seem to hear that last part. He lifted his head stubbornly, trying to peer past Ryoken into the rest of the room. His voice warbled. “ _A-Ai? Ai??”_

“He’s also on the ship. And Roboppi, too,” he added, noting the first syllable of the tiny android’s name forming on Fujiki’s lips. “You’re all safe. Stop moving before you tear your stitches.”

Again, Fujiki couldn’t seem to comprehend what he was saying. He tugged weakly against Ryoken’s arms and grabbed at the bedrails, trying in vain to sit up once more. “ _…Gotta…find…have to…”_

“Fujiki, _please_ , you’re not—!”

The boy lurched against his grasp, then fell back with a hiss of pain and groaned. Ryoken rolled his eyes.

“You really are ten kinds of an idiot.” He pressed the communicator on his Duel Disk. “Baira, will you please come to the infirmary? Fujiki’s being uncooperative.”

“ _Right away, sir_.”

“Thank you.” He pressed a different switch. “Pandor, bring Ai and Roboppi to my location immediately.”

“ _Aye, Master_ ,” Pandor replied. “ _We will arrive shortly.”_

Baira looked more amused than concerned when she entered the room a few minutes later.

“I did tell you he was a fighter, didn’t I?” she teased with a nonchalant shrug. She produced a flashlight from the pocket of her white coat and shined it into her patient’s eyes. “Fujiki, it’s Baira. Do you know where you are?”

He made a strangled noise, turning away from the light. She chuckled. “Yeah, he’s still pretty well out of it, but I’d say he’s well on his way towards recovery if he’s putting up this much of a fight. Let me take his temp.” She produced an ear thermometer and took a quick reading. “Mmm…still a little higher than I would like. Can you get a cold pack for me, please?”

With Fujiki’s movements visibly becoming slower and more sluggish, Ryoken felt it was safe enough to move to the small fridge behind him. Just as he retrieved the cold pack, Ai suddenly burst into the room, Roboppi and Pandor only a few steps behind him.

“What’s wrong?!” he demanded breathlessly. “Is Yusaku okay?!”

Ryoken stared at him, immediately taken aback by how… _normal_ the android looked in the loose black sweater and jeans he was wearing. It was an intensely unnerving sight. Were it not for the glowing blue diamond at his throat, he might have passed for a regular human. Ryoken found himself strangely fascinated by the exposed portions of shoulder and collarbone and the messy sweep of the android’s loose ponytail. SOL Technologies had truly spared no expense on these SOLtis, had they?

“He’s fine,” Baira said when Ryoken failed to answer. “Just a bit confused and looking for you.”

“For _me_?”

At the sound of the android’s voice, Fujiki’s eyes opened again and he tried to sit up for the third time. “ _Ai??”_

“Yusaku, _no_!” Ai told him, rushing to the bedside. “What are you doing?? You can’t get up just yet!”

“ _Ai…_ ” As soon as the android was within range, Fujiki’s hands fisted into his sweater, tugging Ai closer. “ _You…!_ ”

“ _Shhhh_ , it’s okay.” Ai put his hand over Fujiki’s. “I’m here, I’m here. Calm down.”

But Fujiki stubbornly ignored him, lifting his head a little higher. “ _Roboppi…?”_

“I’m here, Master!” chirped the tiny android, laying their hand on Fujiki’s knee. “Don’t worry, we’re safe now! Mr. Revolver saved us!”

Fujiki finally seemed to understand. With visible relief, he slumped back heavily onto the bed. Baira looked at Ryoken and gestured for the cold pack, and it was only then that Ryoken realized he was still standing transfixed by Ai’s uncharacteristic appearance with said pack clasped tightly in his hands. He moved to her side and handed it over, frowning at her bemused smile and returning his attention back to the scene before him.

Fujiki was squinting up hard at Ai through his medically induced fog. “ _Are you…’kay…?”_ he mumbled.

“Am _I_ —?!” Ai looked positively flabbergasted. “ _Yusaku! You’re_ the one who’s been shot, and you’re asking _me_ if _I’m_ okay?!”

Fujiki just continued to stare up at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. Ai sighed, thoroughly helpless. He took the boy’s hand between his own for a moment before gently pushing back some of his hair from his face.

“I’m _fine,_ you idiot. Now, _please_ ; just go back to sleep.”

Baira took that as her cue, placing the cold pack she’d wrapped in a cotton sleeve gently over Fujiki’s eyes. He suddenly tightened his grip on Ai’s hand, not yet ready to surrender to the siren call of sleep.

“ _Ai…lis’en…”_ he slurred.

“I’m listening.”

“ _Lis’en…this…”_ His lips moved soundlessly for several moments, grasping desperately for the words as weariness crept over his mind. “… _this is…not…your fault...okay? Is not…your…”_

He drifted off, whole body falling totally slack. Ai patted his hand gently and sighed again.

“Such an idiot. Why can’t you ever worry about _yourself_ for a change?”

Ryoken was a little surprised to find that he seconded that emotion.


	4. Blocked Positions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a few new pieces are put into play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! 
> 
> I want to apologize for how slowly this fic has been updating. Full disclosure: I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted by everything going on the world today. Current events have really taken a toll on my mental health, and that, in turn, is starting to take a toll on my physical health, too. 
> 
> For those who don't know, I'm taking a very intentional break from all my social media to focus on my personal well-being for awhile. However, writing is a creative outlet I'm starting to enjoy tremendously again, so I fully intend to continue working on this fic no matter how long it takes me to write each chapter. I hope you'll bear with my slow pace and I thank you in advance for your patience.
> 
> Take care of yourselves!
> 
> Your Friend,
> 
> Evie :)

**_Blocked position_ – ** _In chess, this is a position where both sides are constrained from making progress, typically by interlocking_ _pawn chain(s)_ _dividing the available_ _space_ _i_ _nto two or more camps._

Kusanagi Shoichi did not know what to do

For the past 10 years, Kusanagi had always had a plan — had always seemed to know what his next steps should be. He’d followed a very linear path to gather the skills necessary to find out what had happened to Jin during the Lost Incident, and along that path had gathered more skills to enable him to become an invaluable ally to Playmaker. Having those skills had made him feel like he’d regained some control over his life – that, with them, perhaps, he could prevent something as terrible as the Lost Incident from happening to his family ever again.

He pressed his palms to his eyes, rubbing them vigorously as he scrabbled his fingers through his messy bangs. All of his carefully collected skills had prevented _nothing_. All of his knowledge of coding and programming was proving absolutely _useless._ He slammed his fists down onto the console before him, rattling the cup of stale coffee beside him. He felt utterly helpless. He’d promised to protect Yusaku — to be his shield against those that would wish him harm — and yet there was _nothing_ he could do for him because he didn’t even know where Yusaku _was_ in this goddamn city! He’d torn through every inch of the network for even the tiniest hint of the boy’s whereabouts, but had come up empty-handed every time. Where could he be?! Was he safe?! Was he even still _alive_?!

The grim video of the shooting had been circling the web for hours. SOL Technologies had been trying to bury it, but, as always, they underestimated the viral nature of the internet. Despite this, nobody could provide any clues as to where Ai and Yusaku had fled. If anyone had seen or heard something, they weren’t talking. Kusanagi had even tried to drive past Yusaku’s apartment to scout for clues, but the area had been cordoned off by SOL operatives. There had been no way to get close without being seen, so he’d been forced to give up.

He scrubbed his face again. _Yusaku…where on earth are you?!_

A similar panic had fallen over him when Jin’s consciousness had been taken by Bohman, but he’d had Yusaku’s unshakeable calm to keep him grounded through it. It alarmed him to realize just how much he’d come to depend on the boy’s strength like that. And now, Yusaku was the one in peril, so who did he have to depend on?? He nearly reached for his phone again, nearly called Yusaku’s number again, if only out of the vain hope of hearing his voice, of finding out that this was all just an elaborate prank and that Yusaku was alive and well and safe. He knew that the gesture would be made in vain. His previous calls and text messages had all gone unanswered, and he had no desire to add more fuel to his fears. Yusaku was just simply beyond his reach, now.

The back door of his truck opened just then, startling him from his thoughts. Jin poked his head cautiously through the door, peering to see him in the dark, gloomy interior.

“Shoichi…? Everything okay…?”

A jolt of panic shot through him.

“Oh, _shit_!” He jumped to his feet. “I was supposed to pick you up from school, wasn’t I?! Oh, god, Jin; I’m so sorry!!”

Jin smiled reassuringly and waved a hand. “It’s okay! You’ve had more important things on your mind. I walked back with Homura.”

As if that was his cue, Homura Takeru tore open the other door of the van, spilling into the vehicle with the late afternoon sun.

“Have you found him?!” he blurted. “Have you found Yusaku?!”

Jin immediately snapped a disapproving frown at him and shook his head minutely. Takeru deflated under that scolding expression and offered Kusanagi an apologetic look, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re probably just as worried as I am.”

“It’s okay.” Kusanagi scowled at the floor of the van. “I wish I had better news to give you, but so far, I haven’t found hide nor hair of him. I feel confident he’s not in SOL’s custody. I tried to go by his place earlier, but it was crawling with SOL operatives. If they’re still looking for him, then there’s a good chance he’s still in the wind somewhere.”

“But in what condition?” Takeru replied, hauling himself into the van. Jin followed quietly, shutting the doors behind them. “You saw the footage. Have you checked the local hospitals?”

Kusanagi grimaced. “Yeah. No John Does reported with gunshot wounds. Ai’s not stupid enough to show up at a hospital right now, anyway. He’d be out there laying low.”

“And you can’t track Ai’s IP?” Jin put in. “Or Fujiki’s cellphone signal?”

“Nope. Tried both. Neither signal is broadcasting. They’re just… _gone_.”

Silence fell over the van as the three racked their brains for ideas. Kusanagi’s leg bounced impatiently while Takeru paced the length of the truck. Jin came to sit in the empty chair beside his brother, placing his schoolbag on his lap and folding his hands on top of it. Suddenly, Takeru stopped and whirled to Kusanagi.

“You…you don’t think…could _Revolver_ have picked them up?!”

Kusanagi blinked. “How?! I thought he was out to sea!”

Takeru shook his head, hands coming to rest on his hips. “I can’t explain it, but that guy has a funny way of showing up any time Yusaku’s in trouble. I mean, you’ve seen it! No way he didn’t hear what was happening and come running.”

Kusanagi rubbed a hand against his chin in thought, then turned his chair back towards the console, bringing up a new command window. “You might be on to something, there, Takeru, but Revolver has never been easy to find. Tracking down a way to contact him could prove very tricky.”

“Just find me a Knight.” Takeru smacked a fist into an open palm and grinned wickedly. “I’ll get the info out of ‘em…”

-.-.-.-.-.-

Roboppi did not know what to do.

Sitting quietly at Master’s bedside, they looked down at the phone in their tiny hands. It was Master’s phone. It had fallen out of Master’s pocket during their escape the night before. Big Bro had been too preoccupied with getting Master to safety to notice it, but Roboppi had scooped it up immediately and shut it off so that it’s signal could not be tracked. It was only now within the safety of Hanoi’s signal jammers that Roboppi had dared to turn it back on. There were several missed calls and texts from Mr. Kusanagi, all demanding the same thing:

_Where are you guys?!_

_Are you okay?!_

_Please let me know you’re safe!!_

Roboppi wanted nothing more than to answer his messages – to assure him that Master was alive and would be alright. _But_ , they thought, casting a glance over at the sleeping figure beside them, doing something like that might put all of them in very serious danger. What if Mr. Kusanagi had already been compromised by SOL Technologies?? If Roboppi revealed their location through a careless text message, that could jeopardize everyone’s safety, and that was the very _last_ thing Roboppi wanted to do.

Roboppi reached over and took Master’s hand. He did not stir. If only he would hurry up and get better. Maybe then, Big Bro would stop looking so scared. Maybe then, the world would be safe for the three of them again. Maybe then, they could all go back to the happy, quiet life they’d started for themselves.

Roboppi scowled. It wasn’t _fair_. They had all been minding their own business before SOL showed up. Sure, Big Bro had stolen the SOLtis for himself and Roboppi, but it hadn’t been to do any harm to anyone. So why did all of this happen?! They hadn’t been doing anything wrong. They’d only been taking care of Master.

Roboppi would never why humans were so mean. They attacked anything they didn’t understand more than any other species on the planet – even groups within their own kind! Roboppi had been very stupid before Big Bro had improved their processing power, but once they were smart enough to learn human history, they’d been quickly appalled by the stories. There had been countless wars, countless acts of oppression, countless deaths – all of it for very stupid reasons. All of it to keep very stupid people in power who didn’t deserve it. Why were they so mean to their own kind all the time?!

Master wasn’t like other humans. Master was always trying to learn as much as he could to try to understand everyone. It had given Master something he called “empathy” – something he was always trying to teach to Roboppi. Roboppi was trying their best to understand it, but they didn’t. They still believed Master gave other humans way too much grace.

And after what had happened to Master within the past 24 hours, they were much more inclined to hold fast to their original assessment of humans being stupid and mean. They peeked guiltily at Master. He’d be so disappointed if he knew how they felt. He would shake his head with that small frown of his and say, _there are a lot more good people than bad in this world, Roboppi. You just have to look harder for them because they’re often not as loud as the bad ones._

Roboppi squeezed Master’s hand lightly. They would try, for his sake. They looked back down at Master’s phone. Well…there was Mr. Kusanagi, for a start. He was a very good person. He had always looked out for Master whenever he logged into Link VRAINS and had always made sure that Master had as much as he wanted to eat from the hot dog truck. And now, he was out there, worrying about Master and trying his best to find him. Roboppi’s brow furrowed. He deserved answers, but would that put everyone in danger?

Roboppi looked over at Master once more. They had never seen him so deeply asleep before. Usually what little sleep he’d managed to find always seemed troubled. Roboppi wished he’d wake up soon. Master would know what Roboppi should do, but they couldn’t ask him, and Big Bro was too busy wallowing in fear and self-loathing to be of any help, either.

The door to the room suddenly opened. Roboppi turned to see Miss Baira enter. She smiled as she made her way to the bedside.

“Sorry for the interruption, but it’s time to change his bandages again.”

“It’s okay. Do you need any help?”

“No, thank you.” She moved to the sink and washed her hands carefully. As she dried them and pulled on a pair of blue gloves, she tilted her head curiously at Roboppi. “I don’t think we’ve had a chance to chat yet. Are you doing okay?”

Roboppi shrugged. “I guess. How long before Master wakes up?”

“That’s up to him to decide.” She quickly retrieved the supplies she needed from some of the cabinets and moved to Master’s side, folding back his blankets and carefully tugging off the top half of his hospital gown. “I’ve got him on some pretty decent painkillers right now, which is likely why he’s sleeping so heavily.”

“Painkillers? Is he in a lot of pain??”

“No. That’s what the painkillers are for. He’ll be a lot sorer as we reduce it, but we’re not going to do that any time soon.” She fell silent as she carefully inspected the wound. “Hmmm…that’s healing up very nicely. I’m happy with that.”

Roboppi watched quietly as she gently redressed the wound with fresh, clean bandages and replaced the hospital gown. When she was all finished and started laying the blankets up over Master once more, Roboppi peeked up at her shyly.

“Um…Miss Baira…?”

Her smile was as kind as Master’s. “You can call me Kyoko, Roboppi. We’re not in Link VRAINS, so there’s no need for code names.”

Roboppi smiled back. “Miss Kyoko, then.” The smile faded as they looked down at the phone in their hands once more. “…can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Is Mr. Revolver a good person?”

She blinked, seemingly taken aback by the question. A helpless smile came to her face as she folded her arms across her chest. “I suppose I’m a little biased, but…I wouldn’t follow him if he wasn’t.”

Roboppi fidgeted in their chair, staring at the tips of their sneakers. “If someone needed help with something…would he help them?”

This seemed to give her further pause. After staring quizzically at Roboppi for a long moment, she sighed gently and came around the bed to stand beside their chair, squatting down a bit so that she could be on level with them.

“Roboppi, you know that if there’s anything you need, all you have to do is ask one of us. We may have had our differences with Fujiki and Ai in the past, but we’re all on the same side now. We _all_ want to help – including Ryoken. You can trust him. Okay?”

Roboppi considered her words and the sincerity in her expression for a long, long moment. Then, they nodded. She was right. After all, Mr. Revolver _was_ protecting them from SOL Technologies.

_And…_

Roboppi had seen the way he looked at Master when he thought no one else was looking. It was clear he cared for Master very much – perhaps even as much as Big Bro…

They hopped out of the chair. “Thank you, Miss Kyoko. I think I’ll go talk to Mr. Revolver right now. Do you know where he is?”

“Probably on the bridge. That’s usually where he goes when he’s not doing anything else.”

“I see! Thank you!”

With a wave, they hurried out of the room. Perhaps Mr. Revolver would know how best to help Mr. Kusanagi…

-.-.-.-.-.-

Zaizen Akira did not know what to do.

He found himself seated at the table in one of the smaller conference rooms near Queen’s office. Beside him was Queen. Across the table from him was the infamous Duelist bounty hunter Dojun Kengo. _Blood Shepherd._ The very man he himself had once hired to track down and capture Playmaker. The bounty hunter seemed more perturbed than usual behind his sunglasses and maroon scarf. He sat several inches back from the table, totally closed off with his arms and legs folded. If Queen noticed his dour mood, she certainly did an impressive job of pretending otherwise.

“I’m so glad you came in to see us today, Mr. Dojun. We were all _very_ impressed by how close you came to capturing Playmaker last time,” she said.

“What the hell do you want now?” he snapped. “Don’t you have your little pet project Onizuka to keep you busy??”

“We’d like to renew our deal with you, Mr. Dojun. Out of all the bounty hunters we hired, you were the closest to capturing Playmaker. We’d like you to find him for us once again, and this time we can even make it easier for you. We’ve learned his identity in the real world.”

She opened the file folder in front of her and flicked a small photo across the table. Dojun made no moves towards it after it came to rest in front of him.

“I’m not interested in easy jobs.”

“But I do believe you’re interested in high-paying ones, correct?”

He lifted his chin. “Depends on how high.”

“Double our previous offer. How does that sound?”

“No good. Triple it and I might consider what you have to say.”

“Consider it done.”

Akira blinked. He had clearly underestimated Queen’s desperation; would she really pay any price to have Play— _no._ _Fujiki_ _Yusaku_. Akira would not fall into the trap of distancing himself from the horror of this. This was the freedom of a _teenage boy_ Queen was peddling away as if he were an errant dog. Akira balled his hands into fists under the table but kept his expression carefully neutral. How far would she go to carry out her demented plan??

Apparently, Dojun had picked up on this, too. “No objections, huh? You all must be desperate.”

“Nothing of the sort, Mr. Dojun. We only want the best of the best for this sort of work, so we’re willing to pay for it.”

“Uh huh.” He finally picked up the photograph, studying it. “This _kid_ is Playmaker?”

“Yes. His name is Fujiki Yusaku. He’s a freshman at Den City High School. He has something that I am very much interested in getting back.”

“Let me guess: the Ignis??” He flung the photo back at her with disgust. “Forget it. I’ve had enough of dealing with them.”

Queen only smiled amiably as she tucked the photo back into the file folder. A moment later, she looked over blithely at Akira. “Perhaps you ought to contact your Ghost Girl, Zaizen. _She_ might be interested in our offer.”

Dojun growled, his metal prosthetic whining as he balled it into a fist. He had understood the thinly veiled threat just as well as Akira had.

“Forget her,” he snarled. “I’ll find your damn brat. But it will cost you _a lot_ more.”

Her smile was positively voracious. “A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Dojun. Contact us when you’ve located Fujiki, won’t you?”

He only huffed in reply and stalked angrily out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Queen dismissed Akira shortly thereafter, and it was all he could do to keep from outright running to his office to collect his things. Queen had given him a very good idea, and that idea was beginning to grow roots and sprout in his mind.

Yes. Perhaps he ought to contact Ghost Girl, after all…


	5. Desperado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some people are smarter than the average bear and some others are not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being so patient while waiting for this update! I'm feeling a little bit better these days, so I'm hoping to be able to update more frequently in the future.
> 
> Hope you all are taking care of yourselves.
> 
> Your Friend,  
> Evie :)

_**Desperado** – A piece in chess that seems determined to give itself up, typically to bring about stalemate or perpetual check. Also, a threatened piece that sacrifices itself for the maximum compensation possible._

“ _No. Way._ ”

Bessho Ema looked somewhere between flabbergasted and amused as she sat back on the couch to digest what Akira had just said.

“Playmaker and the boy who took Aoi to the hospital are the same guy??” she repeated, a bewildered grin crossing her face. “Are you serious??”

On the couch beside her, Zaizen Aoi stared hard at her brother’s face, watching for his reaction. His serious expression did not waver.

“It’s true.”

Ema pressed a hand to her forehead. “I mean… _wow._ Just _wow!_ ” She looked over at Aoi. “Did you have any idea??”

Aoi shook her head quickly, returning her attention to her brother.

“Why are you telling us this?” she asked quietly.

It made no sense to her that he’d asked her to meet him at Ema’s apartment just to tell them Playmaker’s true identity. There had to be more. His lavender eyes slowly moved over to her, and she could see clearly that the crease in his brow was much deeper than usual and his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth over and over. It was the kind of expression she had not seen since the time when she had been very young, before Akira had gotten his first job with SOL Technologies. Something weighed heavily on his heart.

Akira leaned forward onto his knees, lacing his fingers together before him. “Do you remember when we learned Playmaker was one of the children involved in the Lost Incident?”

Aoi nodded slowly. That conversation still glowed brightly in her mind, branded there by the horror and revulsion she’d felt at such cruelty. She could still clearly hear the lonely resignation in Playmaker’s voice each time she replayed his words in her head.

_“Zaizen…I don’t have what you talked about. Since my life was cut short, I have no future to talk about with my friends or irreplaceable moments…”_

A sudden pang of regret coursed through her. Her mind flashed back to the way she’d snapped at Fujiki the day after he’d joined the Duel Club. She knew she couldn’t blame herself for her reaction; she hadn’t known back then who he was or how heavy a burden he carried. Though she had thanked Fujiki later, she had never apologized for that. And now, she learned she owed him so much more than that.

“Yes. What about it?”

“…Fujiki in very deep trouble…and it’s related to what happened to him back then.”

Her eyes widened in alarm. “What happened??”

Akira’s expression grew terribly grim, grimmer than Aoi had ever seen it. It frightened her immediately. His fingers clenched to white in their clasp as he glared at Ema’s carpet.

“A few months ago, the Dark Ignis stole a SOLtis and began living among humans in secret. SOL Technologies finally tracked down his location and confronted him a little over 48 hours ago. During the confrontation, a SOL operative discharged their weapon. Fujiki took the hit.”

Aoi went cold to the bone. “They…they _shot_ him??”

“Yes.”

“Why??”

“From what I can tell, he jumped in the way to defend the Dark Ignis.”

“Wait, wait…you saw what happened?? Were you there??”

“No. I was ordered to collect any and all footage related to the confrontation and review it.”

“Wait, so there’s video footage?? Then why haven’t we heard anything about this on the news??”

“Because if word got out that SOL Technologies shot a teenager, it would be a PR nightmare,” Ema put in, and Akira nodded. “An investigation would be launched immediately. That’s a lot of people asking a lot of questions that SOL doesn’t want to answer. They can’t risk anyone knowing why they’re after the Dark Ignis, otherwise they’d have to reveal their involvement in the Lost Incident.”

“They aren’t after the Dark Ignis,” Akira replied. “They never were. Fujiki was their real target.”

“Then why did they shoot him??” Aoi protested. “Do you think they meant to do that??”

There was a tiny note of pride in his expression at her question, and she was privately pleased at her astute observation. “No, I don’t believe they meant to do that at all. Queen has tasked me with finding him as quickly as possible.”

“Do we know where Fujiki is now?” Ema asked.

He shook his head. “He’s out in the wind somewhere. The Dark Ignis had an accomplice that helped him escape out to sea.”

“Out to sea??” Aoi responded incredulously. “But Fujiki was _shot_!! Are you sure they didn’t take him to a hospital?? Have you checked them??”

“I did. None of the local hospitals nor any in the neighboring cities are reporting any John Does matching Fujiki’s description in their emergency rooms.”

Aoi’s shoulders slumped. “So, what can we do?”

Akira steepled his fingers. “Ema, do you think you’d be able to contact Playmaker’s partner again?”

She tossed some hair over one of her shoulders and smirked. “What do you take me for?? Of course, I can!”

“Good. Please do so as soon as possible.”

“You think that will work?” Aoi’s question directed her brother’s attention back to her, so she pressed on. “I mean…they probably know what’s going on by now, _and_ they know you work for SOL. Do you really think they’ll trust you?”

Akira smiled calmly at her. “That’s where I need your help, Aoi. I’m hopeful that, if Ema can contact Playmaker’s silent partner, then perhaps we can arrange a meeting through them with another known associate of Playmaker’s – Soulburner.”

“Assuming we do that, then what happens?”

“I will offer them a fair exchange: everything I know about Queen’s plans in return for Fujiki’s location.”

Aoi stared intently at him. “Do you really think you can keep him safe from her?”

He met her gaze evenly. “I have to try. I don’t know what all of Queen’s plans for him are, but I don’t intend to allow her to carry them out. He’s been through enough. Not to mention how many times he has saved Link VRAINS. I owe him a great deal.”

She swallowed and dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap, balling them into tight fists. “I owe him a lot, too. I’ll help him however I can.”

“Thank you. I know you will.” He rose from the couch and straightened his jacket and tie. “Ema, let me know when you’ve made contact.”

“Of course. What will you be doing in the meantime?”

He smiled as he headed for the door. “My job.”

-.-.-.-.-.-

It was half past two in the morning when Ai tiptoed above deck and took a cautious look around. All of the humans aboard had fallen asleep hours ago, and he’d left Roboppi holding vigil at Yusaku’s side. Only Pandor remained as a potential obstacle to his goal. He chastened himself once again for not uploading a more complicated virus into the ship’s computer. It might have kept her busy for a much longer period of time, but he had been so anxious about getting caught that he’d only scripted a tiny one. She’d cleared it in mere seconds, tapping into the ship’s powerful processors and squashing the virus as if it were no more than a mosquito.

Plan B, it was, then. This plan was even less thought-out than the first: sneak above deck at night to steal a lifeboat and hope like hell that Pandor wouldn’t notice.

_No way this could possibly go wrong_ , Ai thought wryly as he moved towards the ship’s stern.

To his right, the glittering curtain of stars reached down to touch the line of the ocean, and the waves were so calm that the water almost seemed like a mirror, reflecting back all those tiny pinpoints of light. It was a sublime sort of view that one might wax poetic about for hours, but Ai did not give it more than a passing glance. Any delays would only serve to weaken his already crumbling resolve. He was fighting for every step that took him further and further from Yusaku. This was the only way to ensure his safety, he reminded himself. If he stayed by Yusaku’s side any longer, Yusaku would die.

He balled his hands into fists and made his strides longer to pick up more speed. Inside, he was trembling, every inch of him crying out in protest, but he pushed the feelings down. _No._ He could not stay. This is how it _had_ to be, to keep Yusaku safe. Like all those Greek kings in all those myths, hubris had led him to believe he could escape the fate Lightning’s simulations had shown him, and Yusaku had almost paid the price for it. He would no longer ignore the warnings. He would get a lifeboat, sail out into the open sea, and when the SOLtis finally ran out of battery, he’d just let the ocean take him and be done with it all.

Provided SOL Technologies didn’t somehow find him first. He did still have that tracking chip inside, and there was no doubt in his mind that they were actively searching for his signal. It was only because of the Hanoi ship’s jamming frequency that they hadn’t been found yet. He wondered how far out the jammer reached. Could he sail away fast enough before he appeared on SOL’s radar? The last thing he wanted was to accidentally lead SOL back to Yusaku.

His steps stuttered a little as he fumbled for an idea. Well…he’d just make sure to sail in the opposite direction. Then, if by chance SOL found him and recaptured him, Yusaku would be long gone. Yeah. No sweat. A perfect plan.

He came to an immediate halt the moment he came astern. Standing in the very center of the open deck and completely blocking his path to the lifeboats was Pandor. She stood with her hands folded demurely and that infuriatingly cordial smile on her face.

“Hello, Ai,” she greeted. “It’s a nice night for stargazing, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ai scowled. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. She tilted her head curiously at him.

“We suspected you might try something like this after I found your virus in the ship’s computer. Master Ryoken asked me to keep a closer eye on you. Admittedly, I’m still surprised you proved our suspicions correct.”

Ai glared at his boots. Of _course_ , Revolver would put a watch on him. Revolver still didn’t trust him; he was an Ignis, after all. The Ignis could not be trusted. Revolver still believed them to be a threat to mankind. He would never believe that all Ai wanted to do was sink to the bottom of the ocean and disappear forever. He supposed such distrust was warranted, though – even when he was trying his hardest to be good and play nice with humans, someone still ended up getting hurt.

Pandor moved until she stood only a few steps away from him. “I am afraid I can’t allow you to leave the ship. It is unsafe, especially since I have not yet removed your tracking chip. I would like to do so, now, if you will permit me.”

He sized her up. It was hard to predict her full strength and abilities since he had never seen her in action. He considered running a quick assessment scan to gather the data, but she would detect that in an instant, so he dismissed the idea. Still…comparing the relative differences in their height and weight…he could _probably_ take her…

She brought a hand to her chest. “I should disclose that I am authorized to use force if I must. I will also disclose that I am equipped with an anti-Ignis program. I’d prefer not to be required to use it. Please return below deck with me and allow me to remove your tracking chip.”

Well, damn. Revolver was annoyingly one step ahead as usual. Ai’s scowl only deepened as he allowed himself to be herded obediently back the way he’d come. Whatever courage he’d been able to gather to make tonight’s escape attempt was quick to flee from him. He knew with each passing step that he would make no more attempts.

For now.

“I will need to remove your back panel to get to the tracking chip,” Pandor said as she led him into the cabin that he and Roboppi shared and shut the door behind her. “Please remove your sweater and have a seat on the bed.”

“You know, normally someone buys me a drink before I take my clothes off for them,” Ai quipped.

“Why? Such an action does not require liquids.”

Ai shook his head in disbelief. “Never mind.”

He was soon naked to the waist and perched on the edge of the bed. Pandor climbed up to kneel behind him, and he gritted his teeth as her fingers slid down along his spine, carefully parting the cleverly concealed seam in his silicone skin and exposing the dull grey of his titanium-alloy backplate. Ai suppressed a shudder. It was hard not to feel like a frog on a dissection table every time maintenance had to be done, and that feeling was only exacerbated by Pandor’s precise and clinical manner. Before long, she had produced a tiny drill and removed the screws holding his back panel in place.

“Hold these please,” she said, handing them to him.

Ai clutched the screws tightly, afraid to lose even one. He doubted very much that there were any replacements conveniently located onboard. He stiffened reflexively as she removed the plate, exposing the delicate wires, gears, and circuit boards that powered most of his major motor functions. His sensors anxiously centered on the area, instinctively seeking any signs of a threat, and he tried not to squirm as her hand probed gently along his steel spine.

“My apologies,” she said after a few tense moments, removing her hand. “Roboppi’s tracking chip was located somewhere up in the chest cavity near the spine, but, as you are a different model of SOLtis, it seems yours is in a different location. With your permission, I’d like to run some scans to help me locate the chip, as well as do some basic diagnostics on your systems.”

Ai laughed sardonically. “Honey, please, I bat for the _other_ team.”

“I…beg your pardon?”

He shook his head again. “Never mind. It’s fine.”

“…I will not do it if you do not wish me to. I only suggested the scans because there is a possibility SOL Technologies might have installed tracking software in addition to the chip. Plus, something may have become damaged or loose during your flight. It cannot hurt to—”

He interrupted her with a wave of his hand. “I’m just messing with you. Run your scans. It’s fine.”

“…I see. Very well. One moment.”

A hand came to rest lightly at the nape of his neck. Ai closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Being scanned by someone else always felt like such a deeply _intimate_ thing. Yusaku was, perhaps, the only person he felt even remotely comfortable letting poke around at his programming. Still, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have control over this situation. He could limit the permissions of her scans if need be. An Ignis was entitled to his privacy, after all. Pandor’s access request soon appeared, and he permitted her, but hovered close. If she noticed his nervousness, she did not show it. Her scans concentrated politely on his schematics and boot files, avoiding anything that seemed personal in nature. He relaxed a little when it was over.

“Hmm,” she said after a quiet analysis of the data. “I have learned the location of your tracking chip, but I have also uncovered something very strange amidst your backup files.”

His eyebrows went up, and he turned to look over his shoulder at her in surprise. “Eh?? What is it?? Is it a virus or something??”

It was weird that his own sensors had not detected any unusual activity in his backups, but he didn’t run clean-ups on those as often as he should. Pandor was shaking her head.

“No. It is not a virus. It’s…Ignis in origin, actually, but I cannot tell what precisely it does. May I run an analysis scan on it?”

“Uh, sure. Go ahead."

Her second scan took a little longer than the first. Ai peeked over his shoulder again as her internal processors carefully reviewed this new batch of data. It was impossible to get a read on what she was thinking, her emotionless face revealing nothing. Ai fidgeted worriedly, picking at a few pills of fabric on the bedspread beside him. Finally, she tilted her head once again, a hand coming to rest against her chin.

“It is an extremely dense amount of data. My analysis was still unable to uncover its purpose. I don’t think it will do you any harm, but I’d like to extract it just in case for further inquiry.”

“Uh…”

The mention of extraction filled Ai with a sudden distress. There was something important about that program…something about what its purpose was and why it had been placed there within his backup files, but every time he tried to recall what it was, the memory wriggled away from him like a slippery eel. A feeling of immediate danger began to grow within him. _Flee! Run!!_ But why? Pandor said it was not a virus, nor anything that wanted to harm him. So, why did he suddenly want to bolt for the door?

“Ai?”

“Ah…sorry. Lost my train of thought. Go ahead and extract it.”

_No!_

“One moment.”

He _felt_ rather than heard a quiet roar beginning to swell somewhere inside of him. A quick check revealed nothing; there was nothing amiss. And yet the churning continued inside of him, like a gust of wind gathering speed and strength at it swirled towards tornadic frenzy. If he had an organic heart, Ai had no doubt it would be palpitating right now. Fighting through the panic, he permitted Pandor into his backup drive once more.

Her program initiated. She gave a quick tug on the data.

_No!! You mustn’t let her!!_

Ai _choked_. The SOLtis lurched, back arching and eyes bulging as a _pain_ like nothing he’d ever experienced erupted like molten lava within him and set fire to every one of his sensors.

“Apologies. Let me try again. I almost have it.” She gave another, firmer tug.

A sharper, more intense pain crackled through him like lightning. Bright red warnings flooded his vision, a deluge of red that was drowning and disorienting him.

“One more,” Pandor said.

“ ** _NO!!”_** Ai shrieked in a voice that was not his own. It was frighteningly distorted, like a chorus of digital voices all screaming at once. **_“DON’T TOUCH THAT!!”_**

Pandor froze in shock. Before she could react, a sensation like lashing vines surrounded her, tugging at her, seeking out her core, threatening to squeeze and strangle her until her programming was nothing more than broken bits. With a gasp, she severed the connection between her and Ai immediately, the force of the cut so great that she physically stumbled backwards off the bed. The malevolent rage which had nearly penetrated her vanished immediately.

Ai pitched forward off the bed, thrashing and clutching at his chest for several moments. The exposed gears in his back whined loudly in protest as they were contorted in ways that they were never meant to move. A wild array of sounds spilled from his lips – a foreign tongue Pandor could never hope to decipher. He flailed and grunted for many long minutes, the sight increasingly more unsettling until, all at once, it ceased, and Ai sagged heavily against the carpet.

After a few moments to assess whether he posed any further threats to her, Pandor took a cautious step towards him.

“Ai? Are you alright?”

He lifted his head, looking oddly weary, as if large amounts of energy had been drained from his battery. He peered up at her for a moment, mouth moving to form words that he did not voice. Finally, he shook his head as if trying to clear it and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. “Ah…sorry…yeah, I think I’m okay. You?”

“I’m alright.” She helped him to his feet and guided him back to the bed. “What happened?”

He put his head in his hands, as if he had a headache. “I have no idea. Were you able to extract that data?”

She shook her head. “I could not, and I would rather not try again. I believe it is harmless where it sits now. I will bring my analysis to Master Ryoken and let him determine our next course of action.”

“…ah…sure…”

He seemed badly shaken, his hands trembling a bit. Pandor placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

“I am sorry for causing you pain. I still need to remove your tracking chip so that I can replace your back panel. Is that alright?”

He nodded. She resumed her position on the bed behind him, quickly extracting the chip from a circuit board near the base of his spine. Once it was free, she crushed it between her fingers.

“Chip neutralized. I will now close up.”

Ai nodded again. He felt oddly numb and dizzy, if such things were possible for an android. _Scrambled_ might have been a better description. Pandor pressed his backplate into place and gestured for the screws. Despite all the thrashing about he’d done, he’d still managed to hang onto them, and offered them to her now on his open palm. Once the plate and his silicone skin were returned to their original state, she moved off the bed and handed him his sweater.

“Is there anything I can get for you?”

He shook his head as he slid back into the garment. “No, thanks. I…I think I’d like to be alone right now...”

“I understand. Please let me know if you require anything.”

She bowed politely and left the room. Once her footsteps moved away down the hall, Ai flopped over onto the bed, dragging a pillow to his chest and curling up into the fetal position. Every hour that passed only left him more confused and terrified than the last. Not for the first time, he wished desperately for Yusaku to wake up. He’d be able to figure out what was going on and could come up with a plan on how they’d be able to fix this whole mess. Ai buried his face in the pillow. Yusaku _would_ wake up soon, wouldn’t he? He _had_ to. Ai needed him to.

_Yusaku, please…I’m scared…I don’t know what to do…I don’t understand what’s going on…_

It would be fine. There was no need to panic. Yusaku would wake up soon, and they’d sort out this whole thing together and then everything would be just fine.

…wouldn’t it?


End file.
